Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 22, 2025
06:34
Migratory Behavior of Cells Generated in Ganglionic Eminence Cultures
Published on: April 21, 2011
10.2K
Oligodendrocyte precursors guide interneuron migration by unidirectional contact repulsion.
Fanny Lepiemme1, Julie Stoufflet1, Míriam Javier-Torrent1
1Laboratory of Molecular Regulation of Neurogenesis, GIGA-Stem Cells and GIGA-Neurosciences, Interdisciplinary Cluster for Applied Genoproteomics (GIGA-R), University of Liège, CHU Sart Tilman, 4000 Liège, Belgium.
Science (New York, N.Y.)
|May 19, 2022
Summary
Ventrally derived oligodendrocyte precursor cells (vOPCs) guide cortical interneuron migration by repulsion, ensuring proper brain development. This interaction prevents interneurons from being drawn to blood vessels, directing them to their correct cortical territories.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Biology
- Cell Biology
Background:
- Oligodendrocyte precursor cells (OPCs) and cortical interneurons migrate tangentially in the embryonic forebrain.
- Both cell types are attracted to the chemokine Cxcl12, but their migration patterns suggest complex interactions.
- Understanding these interactions is crucial for deciphering the mechanisms of brain development and neuronal organization.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the migratory interactions between ventrally derived oligodendrocyte precursor cells (vOPCs) and cortical interneurons during mouse embryogenesis.
- To determine if vOPCs influence the migration and distribution of cortical interneurons.
- To elucidate the cellular mechanisms underlying these interactions.
Main Methods:
- Histological analysis of genetic models in mice.
- Live imaging techniques to observe cell migration in real-time.
- Analysis of cell-cell interactions and chemokine signaling (Cxcl12).
Main Results:
- vOPCs and cortical interneurons occupy distinct territories despite both being attracted to Cxcl12.
- Depletion of first-wave vOPCs significantly disrupted cortical interneuron migration and distribution.
- vOPCs mediated contact-dependent repulsion, steering interneurons away from blood vessels.
Conclusions:
- First-wave vOPCs play a critical role in guiding cortical interneuron migration through repulsive interactions.
- This vOPC-mediated steering mechanism ensures that interneurons avoid inappropriate destinations like blood vessels.
- These findings reveal a novel mechanism for precise neuronal positioning essential for proper cortical circuit formation.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
01:19Cell Migration
5.2K
Cell migration is a process by which the cells move from one location to another, playing an essential role in embryological development, repair and regeneration, immune response, and metastasis. Cells migrate in response to chemical or mechanical signals generated by specific organs or tissues. The overall mechanism includes three steps - polarization, protrusion, and release. Polarization involves the formation of a distinct cell front and rear, which determines the direction of movement.
5.2K
01:32Cytoskeletal Coordination in Cell Migration
4.9K
A migrating cell changes its shape during the cyclic events of attachment and detachment from the substratum and repositions the cell organelles correspondingly. These complex events are orchestrated by the dynamic cytoskeletal network comprising actin filaments, intermediate filaments, and microtubules. Cytoskeletal crosstalk — the direct and indirect communication between the different components — is crucial for this coordination. Direct communication involves various linker...
4.9K
01:15Neurogenesis and Regeneration of Nervous Tissue
1.1K
In the CNS, neurogenesis, the birth of new neurons from stem cells, is limited to the hippocampus in adults. In other regions of the brain and spinal cord, neurogenesis is almost non-existent due to inhibitory influences from neuroglia, especially oligodendrocytes, and the absence of growth-stimulating cues. The myelin produced by oligodendrocytes in the CNS inhibits neuronal regeneration. Furthermore, astrocytes proliferate rapidly after neuronal damage, forming scar tissue that physically...
1.1K
01:21Chemotaxis and Direction of Cell Migration
3.6K
Cells can detect chemical cues in their environment and reorganize the cytoskeleton to migrate toward them or away from them. This directional migration, called chemotaxis, is essential during embryogenesis and development, immune response, tissue repair and regeneration, and reproduction. These chemical cues can either attract or repel the cell's movement. For example, axon development is determined by a combination of chemoattractants and chemorepellents that direct the growing axon...
3.6K
01:21Cell Polarization by Rho Proteins
2.8K
Cell polarity is the asymmetric distribution of cellular and membrane components, making one side of the cell different from the other. This polarity is essential to many processes such as embryogenesis, axon migration, glucose transport across epithelial cells, and directional cell migration. A migrating cell responds to intracellular or extracellular signals via molecular cascades that reorganize the actin cytoskeleton to establish this polarity. In these cells, the Rho family proteins Cdc42,...
2.8K
01:18Role of Myosin in Cell Migration
2.5K
Myosins are multimeric motor proteins involved in various cellular processes such as migration, adhesion, and proliferation. Myosin II is the most common type in animal cells, which binds and cross-links actin filaments.
Myosin II is a hexamer comprising two heavy chains with globular heads and coiled-coil tails, two regulatory light chains, and two essential light chains. The ATPase sites on the myosin heads hydrolyze ATP, and the released phosphate generates the force for contraction....
Myosin II is a hexamer comprising two heavy chains with globular heads and coiled-coil tails, two regulatory light chains, and two essential light chains. The ATPase sites on the myosin heads hydrolyze ATP, and the released phosphate generates the force for contraction....
2.5K